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On Planet in Distress, a Papal Call to Action

Pope Francis has written the first papal encyclical focused solely on the environment, attempting to reframe care of the earth as a moral and spiritual concern, and not just a matter of politics, science and economics. In the document, “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home,” he argues that the environment is in crisis – cities to oceans, forests to farmland. He emphasizes that the poor are most affected by damage from what he describes as economic systems that favor the wealthy, and political systems that lack the courage to look beyond short-term rewards. But the encyclical is addressed to everyone on the planet. Its 184 pages are an urgent, accessible call to action, making a case that all is interconnected, including the solutions to the grave environmental crisis.

To Every Person

“More than fifty years ago, with the world teetering on the brink of nuclear crisis, Pope Saint John XXIII wrote an Encyclical which not only rejected war but offered a proposal for peace. He addressed his message Pacem in Terris to the entire ‘Catholic world’ and indeed ‘to all men and women of good will.’ Now, faced as we are with global environmental deterioration, I wish to address every person living on this planet.”

Laurie Goodstein, Religion Reporter:

By invoking “Pacem in Terris,” or “Peace on Earth,” one of the most famous encyclicals ever issued and one addressed to the world, Pope Francis is making it clear he wants his document to be a historic watershed.

‘Ensuring Respect’

“My predecessor Benedict XVI likewise proposed ‘eliminating the structural causes of the dysfunctions of the world economy and correcting models of growth which have proved incapable of ensuring respect for the environment.’ ”

Laurie Goodstein:

Francis repeatedly relies on the words of his predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II, now Saint John Paul, to establish that he is hardly the first pope to be critical of economic systems that exacerbate inequality, or of the unchecked extraction of natural resources.

A Youthful Demand

“Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.”

Justin Gillis, Science Reporter:

Here Pope Francis acknowledges the sharp divide on environmental issues between young people and their elders, with the most urgent demands for change coming from college students and other young people. It is, of course, young people who have the most at stake, since they will inherit a world of intensifying environmental problems. This is also an early nod to a theme he will develop later in the document: the connections between environmental destruction and poverty.

‘A Pile of Filth’

“The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish. Industrial waste and chemical products utilized in cities and agricultural areas can lead to bioaccumulation in the organisms of the local population, even when levels of toxins in those places are low. Frequently no measures are taken until after people’s health has been irreversibly affected.”

Justin Gillis:

Here Francis begins to spell out a litany of specific environmental issues that concern him. One remarkable aspect of the encyclical is that it focuses broadly on what he calls “the ecological crisis,” and not just on a single aspect like pollution or global warming. The pope is concerned about all the ways humanity is damaging the planet, and how that environmental assault is returning like a boomerang to harm humanity itself.

‘A Circular Model’

“But our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and consumption, has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products. We have not yet managed to adopt a circular model of production capable of preserving resources for present and future generations, while limiting as much as possible the use of non-renewable resources, moderating their consumption, maximizing their efficient use, reusing and recycling them.”

Justin Gillis:

Francis is alluding here to what many experts believe will be the great economic challenge of the 21st century: improved efficiency in using resources. Whole books have been devoted in recent years to the need to reduce waste and produce more with less, and doing so has become an increasing focus for many of the world’s leading businesses.

Climate as Common Good

“A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system. In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determinable cause cannot be assigned to each particular phenomenon. Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it. It is true that there are other factors (such as volcanic activity, variations in the earth’s orbit and axis, the solar cycle), yet a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and others) released mainly as a result of human activity.”

Laurie Goodstein:

Much of the controversy preceding the encyclical in the United States has been focused on this point: Would Francis take a position on whether climate change is human-induced. Any suspense is now over: He has, citing scientific studies.

‘Serious Consequences for All’

“If present trends continue, this century may well witness extraordinary climate change and an unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequences for all of us. A rise in the sea level, for example, can create extremely serious situations, if we consider that a quarter of the world’s population lives on the coast or nearby, and that the majority of our megacities are situated in coastal areas.”

Justin Gillis:

As he does at several other points in his document, Pope Francis here puts himself firmly on the side of mainstream climate science and its analysis of the risks of global warming. “May” is a crucial word; scientists are not certain these things will happen, but they believe the possibility is too high to discount or ignore, and that the only way to reduce the risk is to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. In this passage, Francis cites one of the gravest risks, an accelerating rise in sea levels that could ultimately inundate many of the world’s great cities, though scientists say the worst effects might not occur until the 22nd or 23rd centuries.

‘Cement, Asphalt, Glass and Metal’

“Nowadays, for example, we are conscious of the disproportionate and unruly growth of many cities, which have become unhealthy to live in, not only because of pollution caused by toxic emissions but also as a result of urban chaos, poor transportation, and visual pollution and noise. Many cities are huge, inefficient structures, excessively wasteful of energy and water. Neighbourhoods, even those recently built, are congested, chaotic and lacking in sufficient green space. We were not meant to be inundated by cement, asphalt, glass and metal, and deprived of physical contact with nature.”

Justin Gillis:

This is an odd passage that is likely to provoke argument from many urban thinkers. Here the pope assails cities as wasteful and inefficient. Perhaps he has in mind some of the chaotic cities of the developing world, with their great slums and other problems. Yet well-designed and well-run cities are often seen as one of the major answers to environmental problems, with city dwellers often having less of a carbon footprint than the residents of suburbs or rural areas, thanks in part to the availability of public transport. At several later points in the encyclical, the pope does seem to acknowledge this, citing various ways that cities can be improved and can contribute to solving the ecological crisis.

What of Birth Control?

“Instead of resolving the problems of the poor and thinking of how the world can be different, some can only propose a reduction in the birth rate. At times, developing countries face forms of international pressure which make economic assistance contingent on certain policies of ‘reproductive health.’ Yet ‘while it is true that an unequal distribution of the population and of available resources creates obstacles to development and a sustainable use of the environment, it must nonetheless be recognized that demographic growth is fully compatible with an integral and shared development.’ To blame population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues.”

Justin Gillis:

Some demographers will undoubtedly argue that in this passage, it is the pope who is refusing to face the issues. Many experts regard rapid population growth as damaging to the local environment and to the lives of people in poor countries. It is also true, however, that the linkage between high population growth and global warming is often overstated. The two areas of the world that continue to have high growth, sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, are also impoverished areas with low emissions of greenhouse gases.

Laurie Goodstein:

The church teaches that according to what is known as “natural law,” sex must be open to procreation and artificial contraception is a sin. Francis has certainly reinforced that doctrine here. Despite his off-the-cuff comment this year that Catholics must not feel compelled to breed “like rabbits,” he is rejecting birth control and the notion that population growth is a major contributor to environmental problems. Catholic traditionalists had warned that Francis was forming dangerous alliances with environmentalists who promote population control; it will be interesting to see if this passage addresses their concerns.

‘Dominion,’ Misunderstood

“We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us. This allows us to respond to the charge that Judaeo-Christian thinking, on the basis of the Genesis account which grants man ‘dominion’ over the earth (cf. Gen 1:28), has encouraged the unbridled exploitation of nature by painting him as domineering and destructive by nature. This is not a correct interpretation of the Bible as understood by the Church. Although it is true that we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures. The biblical texts are to be read in their context, with an appropriate hermeneutic, recognizing that they tell us to ‘till and keep’ the garden of the world (cf. Gen 2:15). ‘Tilling’ refers to cultivating, ploughing or working, while ‘keeping’ means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature.”

Laurie Goodstein:

Francis here is taking to task those Christians and churches that interpret the reference in Genesis to humans taking “dominion” over the earth as a license to exploit and deplete natural resources. He is trying to substitute a different notion of the relationship between humans and creation: that of “tilling” and “keeping.”

Possibilities for Change

“Among positive experiences in this regard, we might mention, for example, the Basel Convention on hazardous wastes, with its system of reporting, standards and controls. There is also the binding Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora, which includes on-site visits for verifying effective compliance. Thanks to the Vienna Convention for the protection of the ozone layer and its implementation through the Montreal Protocol and amendments, the problem of the layer’s thinning seems to have entered a phase of resolution.”

Justin Gillis:

In a document that laments the overall lack of progress, the pope is taking pains here to point out some cases that prove that nations can cooperate for the common good. He is citing three of the world’s most successful environmental treaties, including one that limited output of gases that were destroying the ozone layer, which shields the planet from damaging radiation.

An Attack on Carbon Trading

“The strategy of buying and selling ‘carbon credits’ can lead to a new form of speculation which would not help reduce the emission of polluting gases worldwide. This system seems to provide a quick and easy solution under the guise of a certain commitment to the environment, but in no way does it allow for the radical change which present circumstances require. Rather, it may simply become a ploy which permits maintaining the excessive consumption of some countries and sectors.”

Justin Gillis:

This could be the oddest single passage in the entire encyclical, and it is certain to provoke sharp criticism. In a document that is mostly broad and general, Pope Francis goes out of his way here to condemn a system called cap-and-trade, in which governments limit heat-trapping emissions from businesses, issue permits up to the limit and allow companies to buy and sell those permits, which are sometimes called carbon credits. The system effectively puts a price on pollution from greenhouse gases. If designed properly, this type of system, according to environmental economists, can be one of the best ways to get control of emissions. It is true that Europe, which operates the planet’s largest cap-and-trade system, ran into early problems with loose rules and market manipulation, and has struggled to make repairs. But this type of system is operating effectively in California, the Northeastern United States and some other areas, which had the benefit of studying Europe’s mistakes and avoiding them. Environmental economists are likely to give the pope a serious argument about this passage.

Myopic Power Politics

“A politics concerned with immediate results, supported by consumerist sectors of the population, is driven to produce short-term growth. In response to electoral interests, governments are reluctant to upset the public with measures which could affect the level of consumption or create risks for foreign investment. The myopia of power politics delays the inclusion of a far-sighted environmental agenda within the overall agenda of governments.”

Laurie Goodstein:

Francis calls on local and national governments to look toward the long term and the common good. He goes on to say that individually and in groups, people can make an impact by organizing and pressuring governments to reorder their priorities. This is an example of Francis aiming to inspire citizens everywhere, and not just Catholics, to take action in their communities. As he says later in the the encyclical, “Unless citizens control political power - national, regional and municipal - it will not be possible to control damage to the environment.”